File photo dated 01/06/11 of Winterbourne View residential hospital, as Calderstones hospital, the only NHS hospital in Britain that specialises in learning disabilities, is to be closed down as part of a review following the Winterbourne View care home abuse scandal

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CALDERSTONES HOSPITAL TO CLOSE FOLLOWING WINTERBOURNE VIEW SCANDAL REVIEW

The only NHS hospital in Britain that specialises in learning disabilities is to be closed down as part of a review following the Winterbourne View care home abuse scandal.

The closure is part of a wider review that could see the number of inpatient beds in England for people with learning disabilities cut by half.

NHS England announced the closure of 223 beds at Calderstones hospital, which is based in the Lancashire village of Whalley in the Ribble Valley.

UK'S CAPACITY DOUBTS OVER THOUSANDS OF SYRIAN REFUGEES

MPs have raised doubts over whether Britain is prepared for the arrival of thousands of Syrian refugees under the Government's expanded resettlement programme.

An annual average of 4,000 people would need to be brought to the UK from camps around the war-torn country every year if the pledge to resettle 20,000 before the end of this parliament is met.

The Commons Home Affairs Committee said: "At no point in the recent past has the UK come near to resettling 4,000 refugees in one year."

BOY, 16, DUE IN COURT OVER BAILEY GWYNNE DEATH

A 16-year-old boy is due in court in connection with the death of Bailey Gwynne, who was fatally stabbed at an Aberdeen secondary school.

The teenager is expected to appear in private at the city's sheriff court after being charged in connection with the incident at Cults Academy.

Bailey, 16, was taken to hospital with serious injuries after police were called to the school at about 1.30pm on Wednesday but died a short time later.

21 REFUGEES DIE AS TWO BOATS SINK IN THE AEGEAN SEA

Twenty-one people have died after two boats carrying refugees from Turkey to Greece sank, in the latest fatal incidents in the eastern Aegean Sea.

Greece's Merchant Marine Ministry said 18 people were killed and 138 people were rescued near the island of Kalymnos, while another three died and six were rescued in a separate incident off the island of Rhodes.

The deaths occurred amid a surge of crossings to Greek islands involving refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and other countries ahead of winter and as European governments consider taking tougher measures to try to limit the number of arrivals in Europe.

REPORT DETAILS DWINDLING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Young people have the worst economic prospects for several generations, and life has got worse for them over the past five years, according to a new report.

Research by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said life has become fairer for many people, but progress has "stalled" or even worsened for some groups.

Younger people have suffered the greatest drop in income and employment and now face bigger barriers to achieving economic independence and success than five years ago, said the commission.

CRIME VICTIMS ASKED TO USE SKYPE TO SPEAK TO POLICE

Victims of crime are being asked to speak to police on Skype instead of having officers visit their home, as part of a trial aiming to allow more time for neighbourhood patrols.

The move has been criticised by some as a "retrograde step", with former officers linking it to cuts to policing.

The new option will see people encouraged to call, Skype or visit the police station after reporting a crime, with home visits only being made "where necessary".

LO-CARB 'SLIGHTLY BETTER' THAN LOW FAT DIETS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Adopting a low-fat diet and foregoing guilty pleasures such as crisps and fry-ups may not be the best way to slim, a study has found.

Experts who analysed data on more than 68,000 adults concluded that curbing fat intake did not lead to greater weight loss than low-carbohydrate or Mediterranean diets.

Scientists pulled together information from 53 trials comparing the ability of low-fat and other kinds of diet to shed unwanted pounds over a period of at least one year.

POLICE 'WANT POWERS TO CHECK INTERNET BROWSING HISTORY'

Police have lobbied the Government for the power to view the internet browsing history of every computer user in Britain ahead of the publication of legislation on regulating surveillance powers.

Senior officers want to revive the measures similar to those contained in the so-called Snooper's Charter which would force telecommunications companies to retain for 12 months data that would disclose websites visited by customers, The Times reported.

Police said they need the powers to because the scale of activity carried out online meant traditional methods of surveillance and investigation were becoming more limited.

AMBULANCE TRUST GAVE ITSELF 10 EXTRA MINUTES TO DEAL WITH CALLS

An ambulance trust has been asked to check whether any patients were harmed after it gave itself 10 extra minutes to deal with some life-threatening calls.

The three-month project run by South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust during a busy winter period was "poorly handled", the health regulator said.

Monitor has ordered a review of the programme, saying it "has reasonable grounds" to suspect the trust is in breach of its licence.

CONGRESS ON TRACK TO PASS US BUDGET DEAL

An ambitious US budget and debt deal cleared a major hurdle in the Senate, setting the stage for Congress to pass the measure and send it to President Barack Obama.

The Senate voted 63-35, gaining the 60 votes necessary to end any delaying tactics.

Several Republican presidential candidates had criticised the legislation, which is aimed at averting a catastrophic default, avoiding a partial shutdown and setting government spending priorities for two years.